We’ve published quite a few articles now about how turmeric is excellent in improving our health. But have you ever thought of the side effects of turmeric?
We also need to take into consideration some things that may be said negatively about turmeric. I think these are not side effects but people with specific conditions should take caution in taking turmeric.
It is best to know that turmeric is not a replacement for your medication. You should always consult your doctor before significantly altering your diet or just to be sure that it doesn’t affect you negatively.
You can learn more about turmeric health benefits here.
Here is our current list of turmeric side effects that you should also know. We’ll continue to add and update this list every time we notice a new study or article about it.
1. Turmeric May Lower Blood Sugar Levels
Generally speaking, this may not be that bad for the general public but could be very serious to some diabetic patients.
Patients who are currently taking diabetes medication may suffer from hypoglycemia if you take it together with turmeric. If you’re already taking medicines to lower your blood sugar levels, you may want to skip using turmeric.
2. It Could Worsen Your Gallbladder Disease
A general benefit of turmeric is that it can increase your body’s bile production. However, this can be bad for people who have gallstones or are suffering from gallbladder disease.
3. It Can Induce Uterine Stimulation
Pregnant women and lactating moms should be very careful when using turmeric to prevent any harm being done to the baby. Turmeric is a uterine stimulant that may increase menstrual flow.
4. Turmeric May Cause Too Much Bleeding
Turmeric is said to have anticoagulant properties. This means that it can support the reduction of blood clots in the veins.
Theoretically, this also means that it may be partly at fault for over bleeding in cases wherein blood clotting is needed to stop the bleeding.
Turmeric is not the sole reason for this though. This will be more prevalent when you’re already taking blood thinner medications and/or NSAID‘s.
The combination of turmeric and these drugs may significantly increase blood clotting times. People who will go under surgery should take this precaution a little more seriously.
5. Allergic Reactions
If you’re allergic to ginger, you’re more likely to be allergic to turmeric too. I haven’t seen anyone allergic to ginger though. This may be a rare case but it’s a good thing to know just in case.
I guess this can be common if you’re using turmeric as a paste and applying it on your skin. It can lead to skin rashes or itchiness.
Allergic reactions can be very insignificantly mild up to very serious that can even lead to deaths. So, let’s add this to our list of possible turmeric side effects.
6. Turmeric May Cause Digestive Issues
There are several articles online that are saying that too much turmeric consumption can cause bloating, diarrhea, or acid reflux.
I think that as long as you’re not overdoing it and consuming too much turmeric at one time, you shouldn’t experience these digestive problems. I haven’t experienced any of these that I can attribute to me taking turmeric.
It’s also known that in some cases, turmeric may cause indigestion. Turmeric can cause an upset stomach for a long time because of its spicy nature.
You can use a turmeric supplement that uses an enteric coating so that the nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine while leaving the stomach free from distress.
7. Nausea And Headaches
Similar to digestive issues, there are also reports of turmeric causing headaches or nausea to a small number of people. This could also be a case of being sensitive to too much consumption of turmeric.
I haven’t experienced this as well and I haven’t come across a solid study talking about this.
8. Increases The Risk Of Having Kidney Stones
It’s said that turmeric contains oxalate. Oxalates are what you call unwanted nutrients formed inside the body. Too many oxalates will form kidney stones.
But some studies state that the amount of oxalate in turmeric is very minimal. The amount won’t be that significant enough to be a factor in building kidney stones.
As long as you’re not going overboard or fanning too much on turmeric, this shouldn’t be a problem.
9. Turmeric May Cause Iron Deficiency
Turmeric in very rare cases can cause a certain level of anemia. Based on what I’ve read, the reason for this is that a substance in turmeric binds with iron in our blood.
This can be a cause for our body not absorbing enough iron. As I said, it’s very rare but since its something that exists, let’s add it on our list too.
Generally speaking, turmeric is relatively safe when you eat it, drink it, or apply it on your skin. The ones we listed above are just precautions or warnings for people with specific conditions.
Conclusion
Of course, these turmeric side effects will heavily rely on the person’s current condition. Just like what I’ve read somewhere, it’s not the herb but the person taking it usually has an issue.
I think that the use of turmeric outweighs its side effects. Unless you have very serious conditions, taking small amounts of turmeric may not be a problem for you.
If you’re still keen on using turmeric because of its tremendous health benefits, it is best to get that perfect balance of how much you should take. And as always, if you have a medical condition, it is best to check with your doctors first.
Do you think that the many health benefits of using turmeric outweigh the warnings we’ve listed above?